Lena Waithe asks stars to come out: ‘Don’t be afraid’
BEVERLY HILLS – Lena Waithe didn’t mince words on Oscars weekend, using her platform at Thursday’s Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards luncheon to urge her colleagues to be more open about their sexuality.
Waithe, who is gay and engaged to fiancée Alana Mayo, memorably won an Emmy last fall for writing the “Thanksgiving” episode of Master of None, in which her character builds up the courage to come out to her mother (played by Angela Bassett).
Waithe, who based the episode on her own experience coming out, professed her love and gratitude for Mayo from the podium at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. “I’m glad I can do that — profess my love to my love out loud in front of all of you,” she said. “Who knew that in 2018, that would still be considered a revolutionary act?”
The actress/writer/producer continued, saying she knows why those in the spotlight are “still hiding. Hiding because we don’t want to lose an endorsement deal. Hiding because they want to be ‘normal.’ Hiding because we don’t want to make white folks uneasy. But most of all, hiding because we don’t want to make our own people uncomfortable.”
She continued: “Being born gay, black and female is not a revolutionary act. Being proud to be a gay black female is.” Huge applause in the ballroom followed.
Waithe spoke in front of a room full of powerful African-American stars, including Janelle Monáe, who introduced Essence honoree Tessa Thompson, and honorees Tiffany Haddish and Black Panther’s Danai Gurira.
Thompson made waves recently alongside Monáe in the singer’s new Prince-inspired music video, Make Me Feel, which has been hailed as a bisexual anthem.
The actress commented on the Internet’s hopes that the two are a couple to Entertainment Tonight. “The truth is, if people look at me and Janelle and these characters that we play in the music video, people have called it a bisexual anthem. … If it makes people feel liberated in their skin and feel closer to who they are, then I think we did our job.”
On Thursday, speaking before such luminaries as Bassett, Ava DuVernay and Lupita Nyong’o, Waithe said they must be beacons for a younger generation and made a moving reference to one of her favorite movies as a child, The Wizard of Oz.
“There’s this moment in the movie when Dorothy’s presence interrupts the peace of Oz, which forces all the Munchkins to run and hide. So Glinda the Good Witch tells them to stop hiding. She tells them to come out: ‘Come out, wherever you are. Don’t be afraid.’ It’s interesting how things you hear as a kid take on a whole new meaning as an adult. Her words still ring loudly in my ears, especially today,” she said.
“So I ask those of you that are still hiding to come out. Come out, wherever you are. Please don’t be afraid. And I hope that you know that I’m here to hold your hand whenever you decide to jump into this wonderful pool of people who refuse to be hidden. The water is warm.”
Waithe is the creator of Showtime drama series The Chi, which has been renewed for a second season. She has another pilot, Twenties, which recently was picked up by TBS.